Dominic Mancuso's Editorial: Public Square, A New Normal

An upcoming project will change traffic flow in Public Square. (Source: WOIO)

DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) -
A $30 million renovation project starts in Public Square this Monday. It will change the square's traffic flow, meaning bus routes will shift and commuters who drive will have to get used to "a new normal."

The outcry from commuters began before the project started. Change is difficult, especially when you're trying to get in and out of town. Without a doubt, that could bring out the traffic rage monster in all of us.

But when it comes to major construction projects, this is not our first rodeo. Remember the health line project? Critics thought that the long street closures and detours would be the end of downtown, but the Euclid Avenue corridor survived and business is on the rebound.

The Innerbelt Bridge project has been a never-ending string of closings and detours. Commuters have learned to roll with the traffic punches and we will learn to roll with this one, too. This project, like the others, is about growing our city and where there is growth, there will always be growing pains.

Hopefully, the more "user-friendly" Public Square, once completed, won't turn downtown into permanent gridlock and be worth the inconvenience.